Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Norman
Hi Natalie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I fell in love with cooking at an early age, around 8 years old. First, I was allowed to help my Granny in the kitchen with desserts. One of the first things I remember helping her with was fruit cake, and to this day it’s still gross haha. Then my parents began letting me cook breakfast, and by 13 I was cooking full Holiday dinners for my family. Around 14 my other grandmother Big Mama, opened her own restaurant Mama’s Kitchen. I couldn’t wait for school breaks to go visit and be able to work with her and learn some of her recipes. This was the first time I thought I wanted my own little café like Big Mama one day, and maybe reopen Her’s in Edna on the weekends. Unfortunately, the property was sold and the building torn down. Around 2004 I decided to go back to college and pursue my culinary degree, as I was already working in medical billing. I thought I wanted my degree to be something I love, because at this point everyone I knew wasn’t working in their degree field. So, I was like if I’m going to pay all this money for an education, I don’t want to regret it. This was a challenging 2 years as I was a single parent and worked full time and was a full-time student. The time at the Art institute of Houston was amazing, learning about all foods, regions, techniques, and being taught by some world-renowned chefs. It was hard for 2 years, but I loved every minute, except algebra. I strongly dislike math haha. With the support of my family and friends I graduated with honors in 2006. After this I continued to work in medical billing/management for years. Also doing some small catering here and there, with a classmate that had like minded goals. In early 2020 I had a life-changing accident that left me unable to perform in my medical office manager position. As I had slight brain trauma that affected my speech, memory, and mobility. I had a family member challenge me with a cake recipe, and I realized that my cooking skills were still intact. At this point I realized that my gift, my passion for food was untouched by the trauma, and that God was redirecting me to my destiny. So, I spoke with my cousin and classmate, and I asked them if they wanted to join together and form a catering business. So, they agreed, and I began to research how to create an LLC and thought of names for the company. I chose Unity because we were uniting two ideas to form one, and the cakes and plates were suggested by another cousin. So, all parties agreed and Unify Cakes and Plates LLC was formed in July of 2020. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out with the cousin, and he’s no longer with the company. After this my mother became ill and passed away in April 2021. My partner and I decided to start working on a cookbook to honor our mothers. The cookbook was published in November of 2022 “Louisiana VS Texas the lighter side”. During this time, we discussed opening a corporate deli, so we could still do catering on the weekends. Unity Café opened in February 2024 almost 20 years after I said one day I’d like to have a small restaurant like my Big Mama.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would be lying if I said this was a smooth road, it wasn’t and isn’t for the faint of hearts. I had a lot of disappointment, heartache, and betrayal along this road of being an entrepreneur. I have lost family members, friends, and business partners throughout this process thus far. I have learned and God has shown me that everything happens for a reason, and even though it’s heartbreaking at times. I have been blessed in more ways than I can count, and my father (Nathan) has been my rock, supporter, my everything though this process. I have come to understand you can’t have sunshine without a little rain.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love being a chef, being able to experiment and create new and exciting recipes for my customers. Well, it depends on who you ask on what my specialty is, because I just love cooking and baking. So, I can’t say I have a specific specialty, I just love food and being in the kitchen. The things that I am most proud of Is being co-author of my cookbook Louisiana vs Texas the lighter side, being invited to participate in the LA Times festival of books 2023, and opening Unity Café. The cookbook because it’s dedicated to my mother (Connie) and my Uncle Robert pushed me to write down my recipes. Also, it has all my family and friends’ favorite recipes over the years. The Deli because like my Big mama I have a spot where I can share my passion daily. I think what sets me apart is my dedication to my craft and my unwillingness to give up on my dream even through adversity.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
My view on risk taking is that it’s a must to move forward in life no matter what your career field, and sometimes being stagnant is easy. I’d have to say the major risk that I have taken thus far is quitting the medical industry, and stepping out on faith starting a LLC with a partnership. I didn’t realize how much of a risk it was to be in a partnership, and how it could go bad fast. So currently I am going through litigation to end my current partnership, and I’d never assumed ending a partnership would be like a divorce. So even though this current partnership is ending, I’ve come too far to quit now. So, I guess I am a risk taker because I am starting over after this is over to honor my family legacy under “We are one by Martha Mae LLC” will be great
Pricing:
- cookbook is $35.99 available on Bookbaby.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
- Catering pricing are based on the client’s budget
- Unity Café pricing is reasonable
Contact Info:
- Website: https://unitycakesandplates.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitycakesandplates/
Image Credits
Mark Johnson, Keierah Norman-Felder, JcPenny Memorial City
